Behind The Thorns
by Falzar the Wright
Summary: A Ryu X Rose multi-chapter story. As Rose questions her foundation of existence, she travels with Ryu to discover who she is as a person. Ryu with his own situation decides to take her as a traveling companion to see the world through his eyes. Appearances from other Street Fighter characters. 2nd multi-chapter story from me


I like Rose, I may not use her as much but I like her. My second multi-chapter story which focuses on the existentialism of Rose and how her starting journey with Ryu. I don't believe anyone has done a Rose/Ryu pairing do I decided to take it myself. I thought about how she would be introduced in the first chapter and I thought of something; I could fuse part of her Alpha 3 ending with part of her SF4 ending. Switch up a little things and there you go. Hopefully, I can make this story enjoyable for anyone who is a fan of Street Fighter. Enjoy reading and I will try my best to update whenever possible.

"One has to accept pain as a condition of existence. One has to court doubt and darkness as the cost of knowing. One needs a will stubborn in conflict, but apt always to the total acceptance of every consequence of living and dying."- Morris West

* * *

As she drifted in the void of her mind, the only thing she could see was darkness, everything was devoid of light. She wondered why she was there; possibly thinking of her spirit transitioning from the world of the living to the world of the forgotten.

Rose was now in a sea of nothingness. A tsunami of thoughts had crashed against her like she a yacht near treading waters. All those thoughts were reminiscent of a man she saw in her dreams. Why this man in particular, she didn't even know the answer to that question herself.

The Italian fortuneteller then questioned herself for why she had this bizarre fascination with a man she had never met before in her life. She was a simple fortuneteller of Genoa, Italy that possessed the power of fate and astrology in her predictions. Many of the people who did come to her did surprisingly did see good fortune and thanked her that she was able to see the future for them for many things. As much as she enjoyed fortunetelling, she found it a bit ironic that her powers would not work as best as it when it came to her future. The soul power that she possessed was something that normal people couldn't trifle with seeing that they wouldn't be able to fully grasp on what power it gave to the wielder.

Be that as it may, she was content with her life. She lived well and was able to provide for herself because of her gift. Even though this was the case, she couldn't help but feel...empty. She felt that something was missing within her, a vital piece that would give her answers about who she was. She didn't know why but she questioned her existence; she felt that something was off about her. She had no close family, relatives or many people that knew of her origin. When she would ask somebody that cared for her, they would feign obliviousness in order to move from the question. It was strange to her but she accepted their answers.

Seeing that she wouldn't find her answers in Italy, she decided to go on her own personal journey to find where she came from. Her existence was something that she felt ashamed to question because she was a person in her own right as much as the next person. She then heard of a man, a very sadistic man who went by the name of M. Bison. When she read stories about him being the leader of Shadaloo, a very prestigious crime organization, she figured that maybe by meeting this particular person, her answers would finally be answered.

Word of a tournament had caught her ear and it piqued her interest. The reason was because of the person throwing the tournament, Bison himself. Seeing this as an opportunity for her satisfaction and personal interest, she went to the tournament. As she finally met the man that held her answers, for some reason she felt this ominous pressure that made her feel like Atlas heralding the world on his back. His dark energies made her feel like earthy night-crawlers crawling up her spine and planning to drag her within the contours of the earth. As much as she knew he was powerful, she wouldn't falter in asking him how they were related.

Bison was amused at her tenacity for her answers and amused was a word that wasn't synonymous with his person. He told her of how Shadaloo was constructed, the crimes they performed in the world, the story of her "birth". That she was a part of him, a side of benevolence, light and warmth that previously was inside him. A side that he had to expunge from his body to become the man he was today. An error that was unforeseen was that he couldn't erase her completely so he molded that kindness to become a person and henceforth, life was given to Rose.

Now hearing the meaning to her existence, she froze. Her existence meant nothing because she originated from a man like Bison; a man the world hated and held many enemies in regards to him. She always wondered why when she saw him, her heart would feel like it had palpitations, her thoughts would blank out and her soul power would fluctuate in levels that she couldn't comprehend. She was part of Bison, a man of darkness who wanted to purge all light and usher in a new world of darkness and conquer all who opposed his word. She felt like nothing at all, she felt like a copy that was not meant to exist.

Then why was she here?

Now finally telling her the truth, Bison told her that she served her purpose and he had no use to keep her alive. Hearing this, her instincts had perked up and was ready to battle him if it meant to stay alive and reclaim her existence. They battled while the tournament went on and it was a swift one too; Rose's soul power was no match for his psycho power. Bison now had her at his mercy ready to take her out in which he did with a soul-shattering blow to her body.

As he was about to finish her off, an unknown being had come out of nowhere from the shadows and whisked her off in a stealthy manner that Bison would not bother with, he had more important matters to attend to that would accelerate his process in claiming the world for himself. The person then saw that Rose was unconscious and felt something off about her, her soul felt weak and in disarray.

The person that saved her from her imminent destruction was none other than Guy Hinato, a ninja of the Bushinryu clan who hailed from Metro City. Guy heard from his master about Bison and his associates' actions that put the world in a distortion of balance and was claiming innocent lives. He met Rose one time and she told him of her plan with Bison which he said was a suicide mission. He then looked at her now and left her in a place where she was safe from harm as he went back to the tournament.

During the tournament, many fighters had targeted Bison because of their own individual pain he put them through and his power that was sovereign. The destruction of Bison had come and Shadaloo had finally been destroyed due to the efforts of all the fighters and outside allies. Shadaloo's influence on the world was washed away and it held a new dawn for the future, whatever that future may be.

Guy knew he had an obligation to Metro City and the Bushinryu clan so he could not take her with him. He had an idea to keep her safe though, he gave her person to a man that he knew had the power to care for her and protect her in case Bison ever came back with a new agenda. The man was Ryu, a warrior of pride and strength. He saw the power he exhibited before and during the tournament and knew that he would be a perfect confidante for Rose's safety.

Fast forwarding now, Rose's mind was in an ocean of thoughts and she felt like she was going to drown trying to understand what happened. She thought that she was dead but her conscious told her otherwise. She didn't know why she was still alive, she felt like she was dead already after finding out the truth to her existence.

Existence, a word she had questioned fro some time now. She was only a being that existed because she was excess material that wasn't needed. How exactly could that determine she was supposed to exist? These thoughts just came at her full force. She recalled the memories of a flux of negative emotions, she had to escape because of the suffocation of this darkness.

She woke up.

She took in her surroundings and observed where she was. She was surrounded by trees, the star-covered sky and a roaring fire coming from a pile of wood gathered in a clearing.

She got up and moaned seeing that she suffered from more than a headache and felt that her powers were completely out of sync seeing that the blow from Bison really left an impact on her. Seeing if her powers would be restored to the state they were before, she used her eyes and she saw that the souls of the living were distorted which indicated that she needed time to get her power back to her full strength.

When she did get up, she saw only one person: Ryu. During her travels, she had heard of the man that was revered as a prominent figure in the world of fighting because of his win against the legendary Muay Thai practitioner, Sagat. She took a good look at him; the man was wearing just a white sleeveless gi with a duffel bag and was barefoot. Her only question was how he could travel so simple but somehow hold some aura of mystery to him? Why was he here, was he the one that saved her from her much expected death?

Now getting herself back together, Rose tried to stand up only to end up collapsing back on the ground. When Ryu saw this, he ended up rushing to her aid trying to see if she was okay.

"Whoa, you alright there? You should take it easy, you've been unconscious for almost two days."

Two days? Rose couldn't believe she was asleep for so long but then she also was not surprised that this was not a normal slumber. She was still feeling it even though her body felt like it was okay. She just remembered to see if her physical body was okay in which she felt around her midsection and to her surprise, there was no hole or any deformity around it, it was like she was never injured at all. She couldn't push herself even if she willed herself to, her body had other ideas which included much needed rest and time to regain her soul powers back.

"Where am I exactly?" Rose inquired now on the ground.

"Kyoto, Japan." Now sitting next to her, Ryu decided to stay next to her for the time being to make sure she was okay. Being struck by Bison was like being hit by the force of a devil incarnate so he understood why she collapsed longer than usual.

Japan? How was that even possible? The last place she remembered was Thailand which was where the tournament was held and where the Shadaloo organization were. When did she get to Japan and how did she get there? She tried to recollect the events of what happened before she passed out but her powers were so weak that she didn't have much success in doing so.

'I'm still weak. My soul powers are not coming to me. It seems that the gods decided it was not my time yet.' Rose had thanked the heavens and space above for sparing her, she felt that it was not due for her to leave this mortal plane just yet.

Moving past her physical state, she wanted to know what happened with Bison. Seeing as Ryu was with her while she was unconscious maybe she could get some answers to her question.

"Excuse me, do you know of what happened back at Shadaloo? Or whatever happened to Bison? I must know." She had this look in her eye that showed that she was very serious in asking those questions.

Seeing that she was in dire need of answers, Ryu decided to tell her. It seems that Bison's reputation of terror preceded him no matter where he went. Rose was one of those exact situations.

Ryu looked down to the ground as he prepared to answer her. "Bison is no more."

Rose had thought her ears were playing tricks on her. She swore that she heard Ryu just say that Bison was dead, gone, rid of in this world. Even though, she wanted to believe that, for some reason, she had her doubts about those words. Bison was far from a normal human being, he was someone that could not be taken lightly because of his power and his influence in the world. It was an eerie feeling that she hoped she didn't have but it was there.

"You say Bison is gone forever? I'm sorry but I believe that's far from the truth, I hoped it could be true though. He's not someone that could be easily defeated." Rose's tone was in a forlorn and despondent tone that could make the brightest person look down.

"Why can't you believe that? Is it hard to believe that Bison is gone for good? That his tyranny and darkness doesn't cloud the skies as the days go by?" Ryu wanted to look at the positive side right now. Deep down, he knew that she could be right but he felt that optimism made things simpler for the moment.

Even though Rose wanted to believe it was true, she just couldn't bring herself to do it. It was strange to her, it was like she could feel Bison's energy somewhere and also not sense it. This paradox was most likely caused by her soul powers temporarily vanishing.

As much as she wanted to focus on Bison, she had other questions she needed answers to. Why was Ryu taking care of her and why was she in a forest in Japan in the first place?

"Ryu, why are you helping me? Why did you not leave me to perish? As a man of respected strength, you should leave me alone and save yourself." She felt that it would be best for her to be left alone and not have people brought down close to her because of her connection to Bison.

Ryu understood what she meant but he couldn't bring himself to just leave this woman alone. He knew that she was alone and he heard of her connection to Bison but he wasn't able to comprehend it so he decided to find out himself.

"What do you mean? You're a kind person and there should be no reason that I'm saving you. Well, to be honest, it wasn't even me who saved you but somebody else that left me to take care of you."

It wasn't even Ryu that saved her but he was now taking care of her. If he didn't save her then who did? "Wait, then who saved me then if not you?"

"His name is Guy, I' believe that you've met him before because he told me he tried to prevent you from meeting Bison." Hearing this, she did remember Guy who tried to do exactly that: stop her. She ended up moving past him seeing that she needed answers.

"I see. Do you know where Guy is now?"

"He went back to Metro City as he told me. He believed that I could watch over you much better than he could. In all honesty, I kind of find that a bit hard to believe." He then sat across a log watching the night sky. Ryu didn't know why but he was fascinated by the cosmos in the sky, it had an ethereal, calming and mysterious feel to him.

Rose stayed quiet thinking too much about what happened two days ago. She had finally encountered Bison only to have him defeat her with ease and almost rid her of her life. Now she knew what the innocent felt like when their lives were taken by him and Shadaloo. She felt the ghastly cries of the innocents from the underworld and she could see what Gen was talking about when he said he could hear the sounds of the netherworld beckoning for his descending. When she heard the cries, she swore she could see their spirits arisen from the earth to pull her back as an atonement for what Bison did to them; taking everything from them, their loved ones, their homes and their lives. She figured they had all reason to bring her to them, she was a part of Bison after all. She wanted to fight it, to show she was nothing like Bison at all but her own person but even that existence she so sought after was fleeing from her at the moment.

She wanted to sleep and let darkness take her until she felt Ryu hold her up and lean her against the log so she can retain some vitality before she started moving. "Easy there, you still have to recover from your injuries. It's best you rest before you try moving again." Even though she may have slept for two days, it was not a recovering sleep but a sort of state that she had to go into to ensure her life would continue.

"I need to be by myself for some time. If you don't mind?" Rose requested of Ryu. She hoped he would understand.

"It's understandable. Your name's Rose if I'm correct?"

"Yes, it is. How did you discover my name?"

"Guy told me before he left you in my care. It's a nice name." His statement was very sincere.

"Thank you." It was a sad tone but it had some sincerity to it.

Seeing that she still somewhat had a melancholic mood, he went over to the fire to get her something to eat. Ryu had caught some fish earlier before setting up camp for both of them to eat. Due to his training and adventures in the wildlife, he knew how to search for food and be in tune with his surroundings. Right as he was talking to her, he made sure to see if the fish was burning but it was still slowly cooking but looked good enough to eat. The fish were impaled on wooden sticks and he blew softly on the fish to lower the heat. He hoped that some food would help lift her spirits.

He then went to her with the fish, "I'm sure you must be hungry by now seeing that you've been asleep for the past two days. Would you like some fish?"

Rose looked at the fish but put her hand up seeing that she wasn't hungry, "I'm sorry, I appreciate your gesture for sustenance but to be very truthful, I'm not really hungry. There are too many other things that I'm thinking about and food is not one of them. Thank you though."

"Are you sure? You haven't had anything to eat for some time." Ryu knew that she could possibly be hungry but he didn't want to force her to eat if she didn't want to.

The fortuneteller nodded. Her appetite was not there as her mind was still wandering in the void of her inner space. She then looked up to the sky and thought about the future, what would become of her? She felt her fortunetelling would help so she took out a card from her dress. The card had the image of The Fool. It was the card that she coincidentally took out before her pursuit of Bison. A completely neutral card it was, it could either have positive or negative significance. Right now, she felt like a fool for even going after Bison but then she was somehow content with getting her answers even though they were answers that mad her question her existence.

She then took out another card, it had the moon on it. The Moon card symbolized uncertainty. She felt that this card signified her current moment because of her uncertainty in life. She was uncertain of herself, what she did, the people she knew, and she felt uncertain for the future. This uncertainty didn't drive her mad but it caused her to distance away from others to ensure that they were safe, no more people had to die for unnecessary reasons. The moon was like a part of her in the sky; like the moon, she was mysterious, emotional, and perceptive. Even if it was a pure coincidence she drew The Moon card, she did feel proud to feel like the moon. Maybe one night, the light of the moon's rays would wash away Bison's hold on her.

"Rose, I know that you'll be hungry later so I'll save this fish for you whenever you want to eat. I understand you must be tired." He went over to his duffel bag and pulled out a futon. He figured she would need it more than him seeing that she was on the ground for quite some time. He laid it out for her to use and lifted her a bit so she could feel as comfortable as possible.

Rose was nonetheless surprised at Ryu's kindness. She knew he was a good person but he had something to him that she just couldn't exactly pinpoint. Maybe when she felt better in the daytime then she could find out. As of now, rest was the most important thing.

"Thank you Ryu. What will we do when morning comes by?"

"Well, we'll be leaving this forest and going to the city. Hopefully, you'll be in the mood to eat. Well, good night Rose." He looked at the fire and then laid upon the log for him to rest. Luckily, before he didn't have a futon, sleeping against the log was a secondhand thing to him. As the intensity of the fire went down, they both went to sleep.

The dawn of the morning had finally arrived. Rose was the one to open her eyes and take in the crisp woodland air, it was serenely quiet which made her mood a bit more positive than last night. Now stretching her body, she got up in which she was surprised because of her previous physical state.

"I can finally walk, now let me see if my soul power has returned to me." She conjured up some power to form a soul orb in her hand. A little sphere-shaped form of energy came to the palm of her hand but she was not able to keep it stabilized for long. The energy dissipated after a minute, she still felt it from Bison's attack but it did give her some form of satisfaction to know that she had regained some of her power back.

After her attempt at regaining her powers, she looked towards the direction that Ryu was positioned yesterday and saw that he wasn't there. Confused, she used her perception powers to try to locate him, her powers were still weak so she couldn't pinpoint his location. She went into a part of the forest until she heard the sound of splashing water and walked towards the source.

Finally navigating the path she was traveling, she stumbled upon Ryu. She stopped at a tree to watch the warrior in a lake. He was shirtless washing himself with the crystal clear water in only boxers. Rose watched as the droplets of water traveled down upon his chest and torso and was very impressed by his physique. She knew he was strong but to see him like this was unexpected. As much as she knew he had a well-toned physique, she then moved from where she was and went down to the edge of the lake.

"Ryu!"

Hearing his name, he looked up to see Rose near the lake. He had a smile seeing that she was finally able to walk, "Oh Rose, good morning. I see that you're feeling better and that you're able to walk now. Have your powers returned to you yet?"

"I feel my powers returning to me but unfortunately I'm not strong enough to form anything yet. It seems Bison's attack did more than just put me to sleep."

Ryu's smile turned to a face of seriousness hearing that. "I'm sorry to hear that. At least you're able to walk. Don't worry, they'll return to you soon."

It was a bit strange for her powers to be gone for this amount of time since something like this never happened to her before. She figured that Ryu was right; her powers would come back at the right moment. This morning was only a hint of that actually happening.

"So when will we leave for the city?" Rose inquired.

"Soon, I'm done with my washing and I believe it's best for you to get some food seeing that you didn't eat at all last night." As he put the last splash of water on him, he picked up the top of his gi and walked towards the place where he set up camp.

Now at the campsite, Ryu went behind a tree and changed his clothes coming out in a white t-shirt and black sweatpants but still remained barefoot. Now packing his stuff up, he and Rose were walking to the city of Kyoto. After almost two hours of walking, they finally reached the inner city of Kyoto.

Seeing that it was not his first time being here, he brought Rose to a restaurant he favored and was willing to pay for her food. He knew she must have been a bit famished after sleeping for two days. After getting the food, they both went to a shrine to sit and relax. The shrine was quiet and held an ambient atmosphere which they both needed, especially Rose. Sitting down on a bench, they both held their food but Rose was more hesitant in eating it.

Seeing this, Ryu stopped his eating and turned towards her trying to figure out what was wrong. "Rose, is there something wrong?"

She looked up to the blue sky as she heard him and simply said, "I shouldn't be here. I'm not meant to exist."

"What do you mean? You're clearly here right now with me."

"You do not understand Ryu. My existence is false and artificial. I'm only here because Bison did not need what I represented."

"Explain if you can, please." He then moved a bit further hoping that she would tell him what she meant by her existence was false.

"Ryu? What does it mean to exist?" She looked up into the sky thinking that if Ryu couldn't answer than maybe the heavens would bless her with one.

He thought about it and gave her an answer. "To exist is to simply be here, I believe. Think about the plants, they come from a seed planted deeply into the earth with the help of the sun, water and care. Living beings create other living beings not just for their will but because they would care for them. To exist is to be conscious of your own awareness and to know that you occupy a space. Well, that's what I believe. If you met my master, I'm sure he would give you a better answer. Why do you ask?"

"Knowing that you were part of somebody like Bison, you tend to question your entire being."

Ryu was surprised hearing that she was part of Bison. Even if that was the case, he could still see her as a person than a part of somebody. He felt like that she had every right to question her existence but that did not make her any less of a person.

"Rose, you may have been part of Bison but that shouldn't be defined for who you are. He's gone yet you're still here, shouldn't that be enough to help define you are?" He hoped his worlds would comfort her at least a bit.

"Even if that is the case, I felt like it was my destiny to perish at Bison's hands. I was no match for his power. It's just...I have no idea about how to go with this."

"Rose, you **do** know who you are. You and Bison have lived two separate lives due to the difference of your actions. Bison was a man who committed acts against humanity while you lived as a fortuneteller who helped people wherever you went. You are your own person because you were the one to determine the decisions you made; you have your own will and personality. Be proud of yourself for who you are than to live in somebody's shadow."

Rose was amazed at Ryu's words, she never thought his words would comfort her uneasiness. Even though she would feel a bit down and out due to being formerly part of the dictator, it was better for her to embrace who she was and look towards the future and what it held. The stars would rise in the night then vanish in the day but that didn't mean they were gone forever, as long as night still existed, the stars would eventually make its way back to the sky. Rose thought of those stars as a bright light through the darkness known as Bison and that it would illuminate the way to peace for her conscience.

"Thank you, Ryu. You really are one of the kindest people in the world. I'm sure your master is proud of the man that you are."

"I hope he is. I still need to train to become the best warrior I can be. Many unknown challenges await me out there and I hope to face each one as I've been doing up until this point."

Rose respected Ryu's determination, she knew about his past encounters with different fighters across the world. Ranging from his childhood friend/rival Ken Masters to the King of Muay Thai, Sagat, and the man desired more in battle. This attribute of him was part of the reason in why Bison kept such a watchful eye on him and his conquests.

"Ryu, do you know how Bison was destroyed exactly?"

"He was destroyed by a man named Akuma. A man who has been searching for me for a long time as long as I've traveled the world. It seems that Bison also desired to capture the Satsui no Hado for himself and utilize it."

"Akuma, the man known as the Master of the Fist. It would only seem fit that a man of equal if not more darkness would be able to extinguish Bison's life force. Why did he do it though?"

Ryu knew this man too well. He was the man of the murderous fist who had scoured the earth in hopes of him to succumb to the power to face him on equal footing. The man who murdered his master as a message to prepare for his arrival. It was not surprising to see a man with so much power take down Bison.

"He was searching for me. He must have saw Bison as an obstacle and decided to punish him for his interference. I never thought he would go so far just to battle me."

"Why would he want to fight you, Ryu?"

"There is something inside of me. He wants me to embrace this power and let it consume my whole being for a fight to the death. It's the reason why my master died at his hands."

"Oh, I'm sorry I asked Ryu." She could see why Ryu traveled alone around the world. It was probably a subconscious way to keep the people he cared for away from harm's way and to make sure that he was not the reason that they did not get involved in his problems. They deserved at least that much.

"It's ok Rose. That is part of the reason why Ken and I keep training, to make sure that we can overcome any challenge that comes our way."

Rose knew Ryu was a very serious and quiet man judging by the demeanor of his character. She knew that he had this power inside him that just laid dormant and that it was one that emanated a very uncomfortable feeling from it. That sense of determination could be sensed from him and it made her appreciate who he was a bit more. That determination was probably one of the reasons why Bison desired to usurp his body from him and claim it as his own.

"I believe that it is your destiny to be strong. It is also your destiny to save yourself before you consume yourself with hatred and despair like Bison did. I do not think the world needs another man like him if I do say so myself."

Ryu could understand Rose's words, with all the chaos that ensued within his presence, the world was much better off with Bison gone and hoped that another figure like him would never appear on the face of the earth again. He knew that Rose was a good person; mystic and mysterious she was but nonetheless a good person who had her own identity as well as her own humanity to live by.

"You have your life to live by as well as I'm sure you're feeling hungry now seeing that your mood has changed from last night."

Seeing that he was right, she forgot about the crepe that Ryu bought for her and took a bite. She swore that it tasted better because he stayed with her and because he actually looked out for her well-being by taking caring for her these past few days. With all that went on in life, she started to have a different view on humanity.

Now finished with the food, the two took in the atmosphere of the shrine; it was celestial, serene, and undisturbed with the sounds of the dangling wind chimes. Ryu was one who was all too familiar with shrines seeing that he had met or challenged some people throughout his journey around the world which was an experience he was very grateful for having. He felt that this tranquility could move his mind from Bison and Akuma. Rose had never been to Japan before and she was impressed by the air of divinity that surrounded the shrines which also made her think about the figures in the sky that she looked up to.

After spending time at the shrine, both Ryu and Rose left the shrine and walked down to the street level. Ryu felt like it was time for them to go their separate ways as they did before the Shadaloo tournament.

Rose now understood Ryu's quest into challenging numerous fighters from all over the world. In all honesty, she knew that Ryu would probably never stop challenging people. His code of fighting was unique, he didn't fight for fame, riches, evil or any superficial reason that could dissuade him from his journey, and he simply wanted to become the best fighter he could ever be. Never had she seen someone who possessed so much ambition and motivation to be the best person they could ever be.

Now finally out of the shrine, Ryu held his duffel bag ready to depart on his next conquest. He knew Rose was a powerful woman herself so he had some relief in leaving her alone to her own journey.

"Well, it was nice meeting you Rose. I hope you're safe on your way back to Italy. Remember, do not let the past determine who you are as a person. We are all given many chances in life and yours is no different from anybody else's. Only you can be you, just remember that and everything will fall into place. Until we meet again, farewell Rose." With those last few words, he started to walk off on the cement paved road thinking of his next voyage.

For some reason, when Rose heard that, she felt a bit saddened. The problem was that she didn't know why she did but she did. It was like Ryu's presence calmed her a bit and made her feel tranquil and more optimistic about herself. She didn't want Ryu to leave so she did the first thing that came to her mind.

"Ryu." As soon as he heard his name being called, he ceased his movements and turned around. He then saw Rose walking up to where he stood.

When she finally reached him, she stared into Ryu's eyes to see who he was and it was exactly as kind as she assumed it to be. She put her hand on his chest and felt her soul resonate with his and it was such a warm feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time and it made her feel blissful for meeting Ryu and knowing who he was.

Ryu knew Rose was an attractive woman but he never really focused on romance seeing that it was only a hindrance in his journey. He didn't know why she started putting her hand on his chest all of a sudden but he didn't disapprove or anything, he simply let her continue what she was doing.

After she was done peering into his soul, she lifted her hand off his chest and smiled at Ryu which left him confused for a bit. "Ryu, you have an exceptional light within you."

He was confused by what she meant, "What do you mean?"

"You have a unique light within you that refuses to go out, a light that fights through the darkness underlying in your heart, a light that can be quickly spread to the people you encounter and a light that I'm proud to have found lying within somebody like you." She was so amazed at how much benevolence Ryu possessed inside him that she wanted to accompany him to experience his interactions with society and nature.

Ryu heard her words and looked down to the ground before speaking, "Your words are appreciated Rose, but I'm not the man who you claim to believe I am. Right now, I'm wrestling with a very malicious presence inside me and I don't know if that presence or I will be the one to survive."

"I know you have it inside you, but the fact is that you keep it from harming anybody innocent and that you know that it's a destructive force inside but doesn't change who you are. That is the part that makes it truly impressive to me. Ryu, if possible, may I accompany you on your journey?"

Ryu was completely caught off guard with what he just heard. Did she just say that she wanted to travel with him?

"You want to travel with me, but why? I'm sure you would be satisfied if you went back to Italy and continued on with your life before you knew Bison existed. Besides, I've been traveling the world by myself which I've pretty much assimilated to. I think it would be best if we returned to our original lives. Wouldn't you think so?"

It wasn't like Ryu to be so blunt with his words nor was he trying to be harsh with them but it was the only way he felt that he would've been able to convey his message to the violet-haired fortuneteller. Thinking that she would've gotten the message, what she did next also caught him off guard, she started to chuckle a bit.

After she calmed down on her chuckling, she looked to Ryu and smiled while placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Ryu, I'm sure that this is something that I want to do. I want to see the world as you see it, you are a simplistic man who doesn't have much but you have your own set of moralities and philosophies which makes up for your lack of materialistic possessions. I want to see how you are able to fare in this world and too be honest, it would be interesting to experience this myself seeing as I have the power to look at the fate of any individual. Ryu, allow me to do so. Who knows, maybe your light will help me be rid of Bison's presence once and for all without looking back. So please allow me to travel with you Ryu."

Stuck at a decision that would definitely affect them and their association with each other, he thought about it. Of course he wouldn't be absolutely swayed by her request but it was just very bizarre to him to hear one like it.

"Rose, do you know what you're saying?" He asked with some incredulity.

"Yes, I do. Now will you let me accompany you?" It seemed that she was very persistent even when Ryu told her that it couldn't possibly work.

Seeing that he was lost here, he made up his decision on whether he could travel with her.

"You do know that if you travel with me, there are some things that you would not be able to forget such as famine, poverty, crime and every negative attribute society has to offer. I'm asking you one more time, are you sure you want to accompany me?"

"Yes." She said this with the most absolution possible.

Seeing that she wouldn't have been swayed any way possible, he accepted her as his new traveling companion and shook hands to signify their new agreement/relationship.

Even though Ryu didn't show it, it was a bit exciting to see somebody willing to travel with him and face the world as he did. He never expected it to be Rose, a fortuneteller from Genoa, Italy. If anyone was expected, it would be Sakura, his student that held Ryu at high regards and begged for training every time he would drop by just so that she would hopefully be at her master's level one day.

"I always wondered how you were able to travel from country to country without buying many plane tickets for your trips."

"I have my passport, money, a change of clothes every now and then and Ken seems to want to give me money all the time at which I respectfully decline every time seeing that since he worked for his, I should be able to work for mine as everybody else. I'm no special than somebody who is poor or wealthy. Money is needed for security, but I believe that the more time we spend worried about our wallets is one of the times that we become more vulnerable to the seed of corruption that exists in society today."

"Well then, shall we start our journey now? I'm intrigued by what we will see." Rose said while looking into the sky.

"We might as well." With a smile, Ryu also stared into the blue and sunny sky ready for what might come their way.

As the two paths crossed, they looked forward to their new adventure. A fortuneteller and a man of many martial arts had begun their journey prepared for whatever may come their way. As they dealt with their own darkness, they knew where to go to seek the light which would cleanse away the contours of their heart. Maybe this adventure would be able to expunge the darkness in their hearts.

* * *

**A/N:** End of first chapter. I have no idea how long this story will be but I intend to update it whenever the chance is available. Rose is a pretty cool character in my eyes if I say so myself, she holds that feminine mystique I think we and other males try to break down but can't fully. More chapters will be based around their encounters and how they both help each other to deal with their own individual situation. Hopefully, you enjoy reading and some suggestions would be nice also.

As I said before, I'll post something on every story I post. I'll start calling them "Feather Drops", you know because of the whole Falzar name thing and whatever, I believe you know where I'm going with this. I believe it's much more convenient than just saying a rant or whatever but that's just me. So I'll begin with this one. Some of them discussions and some of them will be questions. Mind you, bear with me.

Feather Drop: Capcom is now up for sale!  
I just found out about this news two days ago and to be honest I'm not surprised after all these years of their questionable practices but I'm not gonna 100% bash them even though I feel it's well deserved from all the consumers who has helped Capcom become what they are today. With the whole Street Fighter X Tekken fiasco and Resident Evil 6 (a.k.a. a Michael Bay movie. I can tolerate it though.), it was expected for an inevitable backlash from the community.

Now shareholders are starting to sell shares and people desperately want Nintendo to gain MegaMan for them seeing as they're doing more with him than Capcom has been doing with him for more than five years which is sad if you really think about it. So right now, it's kind of a bidding war for Capcom's IPs and whatnot. Let's just see how this plays out for the Capcom and the gaming community because they need help, and I mean really **need** help.

There were some franchises because they up and left and never came back. Examples such as Star Gladiator, Cyberbots, Rival Schools, Dino Crisis, Ruby Heart (A character I personally like if I do say so myself), Amingo, SonSon (The stories involving her is voice enough already), Bionic Commando, Captain Commando and many other franchises that made Capcom the go-to publisher in the 90's. Unfortunately that time has passed and I don't care too much, it's either Capcom tries or they don't as they face the consequences of their actions.

A close friend of mine wants Monster Hunter to come to the west (No, I'm not talking about the one on the DS even though it is coming but one for Sony). People want an update to Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, I don't really see that happening for quite a while; hell, people want a 4 which I don't see happening and this is what I believe personally. Street Fighter 4's okay even though they did release 4 iterations of it but I find it tolerable I guess (Hell, I even bought all of the damn costume dlc excluding the 2014 Challengers Pack. Pre-order? Really Capcom? You should have learned by now). What do you think about the situation?

That's enough from me for now and don't be afraid to discuss anything. I hope you enjoy the story and are patient for my next update. Until then, peace out.


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